An electrical panel, such as a panelboard or residential load center, includes a main bus system with a plurality of buses (e.g., bus bars) to distribute power from a single or multi-phase power source to downstream branch circuits. Each bus can have multiple branch connectors. The electrical panel can employ electrical devices such as circuit breakers, which provide overcurrent protection in the distribution of power to the branch circuits. The circuit breakers have a terminal, such as a plug-on or bolt-on terminal, which is connectable to one of the branch connectors on the electrical panel. The electrical panel is typically housed in an electrical enclosure to protect a person from coming in direct contact with live conductors, which is a hazardous situation. It is recommended that power be shut off to the main bus system as a precaution before accessing the electrical panel and the electrical devices connected thereto.
A person, such as an electrician, may have a legitimate reason for accessing the electrical panel when still energized, e.g., without turning off the power to the main bus system. These reasons can, for example, include troubleshooting, such as to perform voltage measurements or thermal scanning for hot spots on the electrical panel. There may be other legitimate reasons to access an energized electrical panel if there is a greater hazard associated with turning off power to the main bus system of the electrical panel. For example, the electrical panel is kept energized to prevent the turning off of an exhaust fan which evacuates hazardous gases. Therefore, an electrical panel, which is IP2X compliant or “finger safe” (hereinafter “IP2X electrical panel”) can be used to reduce the risk of accidental human contact with energized components or of arc flash between energized conductors. The IP2X test is identified in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Standard 60529, which addresses the level of ingress protection. The IP2X test simulates the effects of a person probing with their finger.